20x80 Binoculars Tripod Recommendation

[phw26]

Hi all,

I have a pair of Celestron SkyMaster 20x80 Binoculars with a fixing screw which slides up and down a central bar for balancing. Can anyone recommend a tripod I could use these on as they are quite heavy and also with enough height so I don’t have to crouch down, I am 5.10

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[onesmallstep]

Hi

Sky At Night magazine did a tripod test a few years back and the Horizon 8115 2-way heavy duty tripod came highly recommended. I use one for small scopes and have put several large bins on them and have had no problems at all.

The tripod itself has three-part telescopic legs with rubber stoppers to give a secure grip and to dampen any vibration to a minimum. It also has an extending centre rod that allows viewing objects at zenith. Fully extended the tripod is approximately seven feet tall. It comes with a metal base plate that fits into a recess and is held in place by a tension clip.

The tripod is widely available on the net and from astro and photography suppliers (I bought mine from AstroFest a few years back) and costs £80-90 including base plate.

Hope this helps.

[phw26]

Thanks John, just had a look at it at Harrison Telescopes site and it looks impressive. Do you know if i will need an adapter bracket for it to fit my bins.

Thanks for your advice

Peter

[onesmallstep]

Hi

You shouldn't need an adaptor as the base plate screws straight into the fixing screw on the bins. The tripod is sturdy enough to hold 100mm scopes and bins (I think Sky at Night used this tripod when they tested 25x100 bins).

[scogyrd]

Do you know if i will need an adapter bracket for it to fit my bins.

I don't know about using the horizon tripod with your bins but I needed an horizontal mounting bracket to use my old 20x80 bins, without it the objectives would catch the head and I wasn't quite able to close them enough to use them.

ScopeTeknix Horizontal heavy duty binocular mounting bracket

[phw26]

Thanks,

I think I will get the tripod and if needed I will get the bracket later.

Best Regards

Peter

[onesmallstep]

OK, good luck with the tripod

[Merlin66]

I found a long handled wooden broom "monopod" to be ideal...allowed a great degree of movement and steadied the 15 x80's I have, enough to make them worthwhile using..

Just my 0.02 euro